* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:14] AFTERNOON, WE'LL CALL THIS, UH, HUMAN SERVICES, UH, COMMITTEE MEETING TOGETHER ON WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22ND. UM, ROLL CALL. WE HAVE TWO EXCUSED SUPERVISOR GALATZ AND SUPERVISOR TROUTNER. UH, THE REST OF US ARE HERE. UH, THE AFFIDAVIT OF POSTING WAS POSTED ACCURATELY AND CORRECTLY, UH, WILL RISE FOR A MOMENT OF SILENT PRAYER AND THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. I PLEDGE ALLE ALL TO THE FLAG FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC. REPUBLIC STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, THE INDIVISIBLE WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. OKAY. UH, DID ANYONE SEE ANY CORRECTIONS IN THE MINUTES OR ANYTHING YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT? SEEING NONE, WE WILL CONSIDER THEM APPROVED. ALL RIGHT. OUR FIRST AGENDA ITEM THEN IS THE 2024 CHILD WELFARE DATA. AND, UH, ARE YOU GONNA INTRODUCE IT, JULIE, OR? SURE. OKAY. UM, SO GOOD AFTERNOON. SO WE HAVE SOME INTERESTING DATA THAT WE WANTED TO PRESENT TO YOU AS PART OF, SORT OF A TOTAL [a. 2024 Child Welfare Data] PACKAGE OF, OF INFORMATION THAT WE'RE GONNA BE SHARING OVER THE NEXT, UM, COUPLE OF MONTHS. UM, BUT FIRST WE WANTED TO GIVE YOU SOME, UM, INSIGHT INTO WHAT WE'RE SEEING, SOME TRENDS AROUND, UM, CHILD WELFARE INTAKES. AND SO, UM, BETH WONKI, WHO'S OUR SUPERVISOR, UM, AND CO KLEIN, WHO'S A DIVISION MANAGER FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, IS GONNA PRESENT THAT, UM, PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. I NEVER KNOW. AM I ON? YEP. YEP. GREAT. THANK YOU. UM, YEAH, THANKS FOR THE INTRODUCTION, JULIE. WE'RE GONNA BE PRODU, UH, PRESENTING DATA SPECIFICALLY ON CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES INTAKE. UM, BETH, UH, SHE OBVIOUSLY CAN INTRODUCE HERSELF, BUT BETH IS THE SUPERVISOR OVER ALL INTAKE, UH, ALL INTAKE FOR ALL PROGRAMS THROUGH THE CHILDREN AND FAMILIES DIVISION. SO THAT'S CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICE INTAKE AND YOUTH JUSTICE INTAKE. HER TEAM, UM, TAKES ALL THE REFERRALS AND, UM, ALL OF THE CALLS AND FOR CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES. SO I, I WANNA JUST GIVE A BRIEF OVERVIEW, BUT NOT GET TOO IN THE WEEDS WHEN I TALK ABOUT CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES OR CPS INTAKE. UM, DO WE, I WANTED TO KIND OF MENTION HOW IT COMES IN, UM, JUST REALLY BRIEFLY. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, ANYONE, AS I TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE, IT'S THE ACCESS LINE, IT'S THE HOTLINE, RIGHT? TWO, TWO, OH, SAFE. ANYBODY FROM THE COMMUNITY CAN CALL IN, MAKE A REFERRAL IF THEY BELIEVE THAT, UM, CHILD MALTREATMENT HAS OCCURRED AND MANDATED REPORTERS, THOSE WHO ARE REQUIRED TO MAKE REPORTS, YOU KNOW, TEACHERS, NURSES, DOCTORS, ET CETERA, THEY ALL COME INTO THE HOTLINE. BETH HAS A ACCESS WORKER WHO TAKES THAT CALL. IT'S A DETAILED INTERVIEW GATHERING CIRCUMSTANCES AND DEMOGRAPHIC DATA AND ANSWERING OR COLLECTING DATA TO ANSWER QUESTIONS THAT HELP US MAKE A DECISION WHETHER OR NOT WE SHOULD GET INVOLVED. SO THE INFORMATION WE'RE PRESENTING TONIGHT, WE'LL DISCUSS THE CALLS THAT WE'VE TAKEN IN, WHETHER OR NOT WE'VE GOT INVOLVED AND KIND OF THE DISPOSITION OF THOSE CASES. OKAY? OKAY. AND OBVIOUSLY WE'LL TAKE ANY, ANY QUESTIONS, BUT I'LL TURN IT OVER TO BETH FOR NOW. ALRIGHT. HELLO. GOOD EVENING. HELLO. THANKS FOR HAVING US. UH, SO MY NAME IS BETH WONKY, AS CORAL SAID, I'M THE INTAKE SUPERVISOR. UM, I'VE BEEN WITH THE COUNTY ALMOST 10 YEARS. THE END OF SEPTEMBER IS MY 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY. SWEET. UH, AND I'VE BEEN SUPERVISING SINCE 2019, I THINK. YES. UM, SO THIS FIRST SLIDE SHOWS OVER THE FOUR YEAR SPAN. SO STARTING IN 2020 TO LAST YEAR, THESE ARE FULL CALENDAR YEARS. THE BOTTOM BAR IS THE TOTAL NUMBER OF REPORTS THAT OUR HOTLINE RECEIVED FOR EACH YEAR. THAT MIDDLE ORANGE BLOCK IS THE NUMBER OF INTAKE CASES THAT MY TEAM SERVED. AND THEN THAT LITTLE TINY NUMBER OR BLOCK WITH THE NUMBERS ABOVE IT, THOSE ARE THE CASES THAT GET OPENED FOR COURT INTERVENTION OR ONGOING SERVICES THAT THEN GO TO THE CPS ONGOING TEAM. SO I'LL LET YOU GUYS LOOK AT IT FOR A MINUTE AND TAKE ANY QUESTIONS YOU GUYS HAVE. JUST KEEP GOING. I THINK ONE THING THAT WE NOTICED POINT, LOOKING [00:05:01] AT THESE NUMBERS IS THE SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN REPORTS AND CASES IN 2024. UM, AND LOOKING BACK OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS, THE NUMBER OF CASES THAT WE'RE STAYING INVOLVED WITH HAS STAYED THE SAME, UM, OVER THE LAST PROBABLY TWO YEARS, THE STATE DCF HAS BEEN COMING OUT WITH UPDATES TO OUR SAFETY ASSESSMENTS THAT WE DO, CRITERIA WORKING WITH FAMILIES, DIFFERENT, TRYING TO PUT INTERVENTIONS IN ON THE FRONT END. AND I THINK WE'VE WORKED REALLY HARD HERE TO IMPLEMENT ALL OF THOSE THINGS, TO NOT STAY INVOLVED WITH A FAMILY IF WE DON'T HAVE TO. UM, WE HAVE SOME SAFETY FUNDS THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO HELP FAMILIES GET, HOUSING, BASIC CARE ITEMS, DAYCARE SERVICES, THINGS OF THAT NATURE. UM, WE'VE ALSO INCREASED OUR WORK WITH FAMILIES WRAPPING THEIR INFORMAL SUPPORTS AROUND THEM TO HAVE OTHER SAFE CAREGIVERS IN THE HOME TO HELP, UM, TAKE CARE OF KIDS AND KEEP THEM SAFE AT HOME. UH, SO THIS NEXT SLIDE SHOWS THE PERCENT OF REPORTS THAT WERE OPENED PER YEAR FOR INTAKE. UM, AGAIN, RANGING FROM 2020 TO 2024. UM, AND AS YOU CAN SEE OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS, IT'S STEADILY INCREASED THAT WE'RE OPENING MORE CASES FOR SERVICES ON THE FRONT END. ANYTHING, IF I CAN ASK, WHAT DO YOU CONTRIBUTE THAT INCREASE TO? THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. I THINK, UH, BETWEEN 2023 AND 2024 SPECIFICALLY, THERE'S A PRETTY BIG JUMP. AND WE, OVER THE LAST YEAR HAVE WORKED WITH OUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, OUR CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER TO IMPLEMENT A DRUG ENDANGERED CHILD, MOU, WHERE WE'VE, WE'VE INCREASED OUR COLLABORATION ON WORKING TOGETHER ON THOSE CASES. AND I THINK OVER TIME THAT HAS HELPED BETTER INFORM THE COMMUNITY WHEN SUBSTANCE USE IS A SAFETY CONCERN FOR CHILDREN, WHICH HAS THEN UPTAKED, UM, REPORTING. MM-HMM . OKAY. SOUNDS GOOD. AND THEN THERE'S A LOT OF REPORTS THAT YOU DON'T DO INTAKE ON. ARE THOSE REPORTS WHERE, BASED ON THE INITIAL REPORT, IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE A LEGITIMATE CONCERN OR IT JUST DOESN'T RISE TO THE LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION? OR CAN YOU SHED SOME INSIGHT ONTO WHY THERE ARE SO MANY REPORTS THAT COME IN THAT ARE NOT ACTED ON? ABSOLUTELY. SO AS CORAL SAID, ANYBODY CAN CALL. SO SOMETIMES WE GET REPORTS OF RETALIATION OR THINGS THAT ARE EXAGGERATED. UM, PEOPLE CAN CALL IN WHATEVER THEY WANT. SO A LOT OF TIMES WE GET REPORTS WHERE THE REPORTER DOES NOT AGREE WITH THE TYPE OF PARENTING, BUT IT DOESN'T MEET, WE FOLLOW THE CHAPTER 48 GUIDELINES AND IT DOESN'T MEET THOSE DEFINITIONS. SO, UM, A LOT OF THINGS THAT ARE REPORTED ARE CONCERNING OR ARE NOT, YOU KNOW, NECESSARILY THE HEALTHIEST SITUATIONS, BUT THEY DON'T WARRANT GOVERNMENT INTERACTION PER CHAPTER 48. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. THAT'S FINE. UH, SO THEN THIS COMPARES THE PERCENT OF, UM, INTAKE CASES THAT ARE OPENED, COMBINED WITH THE PERCENT THAT WERE SENT FOR ONGOING SERVICES ARE OPENED. UM, BY AND LARGE CASES THAT GET SENT TO OUR ONGOING TEAM, WE DO HAVE COURT INTERVENTION, WHAT WE CALL A CHILD IN NEED OF PROTECTION OR SERVICES. COURT PETITION IS FILED THAT IS OVERSEEN BY A JUDGE WHERE WE PROVIDE COURT ORDERED SERVICES. SO AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE'S AGAIN, A, A BIG, I GUESS, DISCREPANCY OR DIFFERENCE IN THE NUMBER OF INTAKE CASES AT 26% VERSUS 10% OF THOSE GOING TO ONGOING. UM, AND I THINK THAT REFLECTS BACK TO THOSE SERVICES AND THOSE UPDATES THAT DCF HAS GIVEN US TO BE MORE FAMILY CENTERED, FAMILY FOCUSED, NOT OVERLY INTRUSIVE, UM, USING THOSE SAFETY FUNDS ON THE FRONT END. AND I THINK, DID WE, UM, THIS PARTICULAR GRAPH AS WELL, I THINK SOME OF THE REPORTS WE'VE BEEN GETTING, ESPECIALLY IN 2024, AN UPTICK OF RELATIVES CALLING BECAUSE THEY'RE CARING FOR MINOR CHILDREN WITHOUT SYSTEM INVOLVEMENT. SO THEY'RE CALLING US ASKING FOR SUPPORT, UM, HOW TO GET CONNECTED WITH RESOURCES AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO THOSE ALSO COUNT IN OUR CALLS. OKAY. BUT WE JUST CONNECT THEM WITH SERVICES AND THEN, YOU KNOW, WE'RE OUT. SO THOSE ARE PARENTS, SO THEY WOULD NOT GO TO THE ONGOING, SO THOSE PARENTS PROACTIVELY SEEKING HELP RELATIVES YEP. OR RELATIVES. YEP. YEP, YEP. SO WHEN A RELATIVE, WE HAVE SEEN AN INCREASE IN THOSE RELATIVES CALLING AND SO WE'LL REFER THEM TO KINSHIP CARE, WHICH IS A STATEWIDE PROGRAM, OR WE PROVIDE THEM WITH SOME GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF GUARDIANSHIPS AND GIVE THEM, UM, YOU KNOW, THE CLERK OF COURT'S INFORMATION TO FILE THOSE KINDS [00:10:01] OF, UM, LEGAL DOCUMENTS FOR THEM TO HELP CARE FOR THOSE KIDS. SO WHENEVER THE ISSUE OR THE SAFETY NEED OR THE ISSUE CAN BE RESOLVED WITHIN BETH'S TEAM'S 60 DAY STATUTORY LIMIT ON THE INVESTIGATION, OR HAVING AN OPEN CASE, IF THE ISSUES CAN BE RESOLVED, THEN IT'S NOT MOVING ON TO THAT ONGOING TEAM. THE ONGOING TEAM ONLY TAKES CASES THAT NEED LONGER TERM INVOLVEMENT OR SERVICE DELIVERY. SO THEN FINALLY, WHAT DO THOSE GRAPHS ALL TELL US? IT'S TOLD US THAT OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS, WE'VE SEEN AN OVERALL 4% INCREASE. AND IN THOSE REPORTS THAT ARE COMING INTO OUR HOTLINE AND OUR INTAKE CASES THAT WE SERVE HAVE INCREASED OVER THAT FOUR YEAR TIME PERIOD BY 14%. AND THE FOUR YEAR PERIOD TIMEFRAME OF CASES GOING TO ONGOING HAS INCREASED BY 9%. SO I JUST HAVE A QUESTION. THANK YOU. UM, AS FAR AS THE DATA AND WHAT YOU'RE SHOWING FROM THE INTAKE FORMS, LIKE I WOULD ASSUME THAT YOU HAVE SOME WAY TO TRACK WHETHER IT'S COMING INTO CPS, IS IT CHILD ABUSE OR CHILD NEGLECT, THE NUMBERS OF, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, ABUSE VERSUS NEGLECT AND, AND HOW THEY'RE REFLECTED IN SOME OF THESE JUST TO KIND OF SEE AND BREAK IT DOWN WHERE THE INCREASE IS COMING FROM. YEP. OUR STATEWIDE SYSTEM HAS LOTS OF VERY COMPREHENSIVE REPORTS THAT PULL ALL OF THAT OUT FOR US, AND THEN WE CAN SORT IT AND, AND PULL OUT THE DATA THAT WE NEED. SO OUR STATE SYSTEM TRACKS ALL THAT, SO THAT'S NICE. WE DON'T HAVE TO DO IT MANUALLY ON OUR END. SO THEN YOU COULD GO BACK AND TAKE THAT DATA AND DETERMINE THERE'S, WE, IN 2023, WE HAD MORE NEGLECT CASES THAN WE HAD ABUSE, OR YEAH, I DO, I DID BRING SOME OF THAT. OKAY. SO IF YOU WANT ME TO SHARE SOME OF THAT, I CAN SURE. WHAT MAYBE SOME OF THE HIGH LEVEL TOP, UM, CATEGORIES ARE. THAT'D BE GOOD. YEAH, I, SO IT'S USUALLY NEGLECT. SO NEGLECT IS, ARE KIND OF CATCHALL TYPE OF MALTREATMENT, IF YOU WILL, THAT ENCOMPASSES EVERYTHING. MM-HMM . LACK OF MEDICAL CARE, SUBSTANCE USE, LACK OF SUPERVISION, LACK OF BASIC CARE. SO BY AND LARGE, NEGLECT IS USUALLY THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF REPORTS. UM, SO IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS, IT'S BEEN 48 TO 62% OF THE TOTAL REPORTS BEING NEGLECT. UM, AND THEN PHYSICAL ABUSE IS OUR NEXT TOP TYPE OF MALTREATMENT THAT'S REPORTED. AND IN THAT TIMEFRAME, IT'S RANGED FROM 31% TO 37% OF THE REPORTS. UM, SEXUAL ABUSE IS OUR NEXT HIGHEST. THAT'S RANGED FROM 15 TO 20. UM, AND THE INTERESTING THING FROM 2022 TO 2024 SEXUAL ABUSE REPORTS ACTUALLY INCREASED. UM, I AM NOT REALLY SURE WHAT TO ATTRIBUTE THAT TO OTHER THAN I THINK 2022 IS BY AND LARGE WHEN FOLKS WERE NO LONGER ISOLATED OR STAYING AT HOME. SO I DON'T KNOW IF IT CAUSED AN INCREASE IN KIDS REPORTING TO OTHER SAFE CAREGIVERS, WHAT WAS HAPPENING. UM, BUT PRIOR TO THAT IT WAS PRETTY CONSISTENT. AROUND 15% IN THE LAST THREE YEARS IT'S BEEN 17, 19, AND THEN 24 IT WAS 20%. UM, AND THEN THE LAST INTERESTING TREND IS EMOTIONAL DAMAGE IS ITS OWN TYPE OF MALTREATMENT. AND THAT HAS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM 2020 WHEN IT WAS ABOUT 4% OF OUR REPORTS TO LAST YEAR, IT WAS UP TO 10%. AND EMOTIONAL DAMAGE, WE GET THOSE REPORTS WHEN KIDS ARE HAVING SERIOUS MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES OR BEHAVIORS AND THE PARENTS ARE NOT ACCESSING MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT, NOT KEEPING THEM SAFE. IF THEY HAVE SUICIDAL BEHAVIORS OR PLANS AND THE PARENTS ARE LIKE, OH, THAT'S NO BIG DEAL. WE GET THOSE REPORTS. AND I THINK THAT TRENDS WITH THE INCREASE OF MENTAL HEALTH, UM, PROBLEMS THAT WE'VE SEEN AND JUST AN UPTICK IN THAT IN GENERAL COMMUNITY WIDE, REALLY SOCIETY WIDE. AND, AND JUST TO EXPAND ON THAT A LITTLE BIT, BETH, SO WOULD IT BE SAFE TO SAY THAT THE, UM, IF THE PARENTS AREN'T ADDRESSING THE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, UM, THAT A LOT OF THESE ARE COMING FROM MANDATED REPORTERS? YES. SCHOOL PROFESSIONALS ARE OUR TOP MANDATED, WELL OUR TOP REPORTER. SURE. UM, OVERALL, AND THEN SECOND IS LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND THEN THIRD IS MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS. OKAY. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR? YES. I'M KINDA THINKING ABOUT OUR PRESENTATION LAST NIGHT AND I THINK JULIE'S SMILING 'CAUSE SHE IMAGINED IT WOULD COME UP. SO LAST NIGHT FOR THOSE WHO WEREN'T THERE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS TALKED ABOUT IS [00:15:01] CHILDREN ARE NOT BEING GIVEN ADEQUATE CHANCES TO EXPERIENCE AN APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF INDEPENDENCE. AND THERE WAS MENTION OF CASES IN OTHER STATES WHERE CPS HAS GOT IT INVOLVED FOR THINGS THAT A LOT OF US WOULD FIND QUESTIONABLE. UM, IT WELL QUESTIONABLE THAT CPS WOULD VIEW IT AS A PROBLEM. UH, ONE EXAMPLE WAS MOM ALLOWING HER KID TO PLAY IN THE BACKYARD WHILE SHE'S IN THE KITCHEN AND NOT DIRECTLY IN THE BACKYARD SUPERVISING HER KID. AND I FORGET WHAT AGE THE KID WAS, BUT MAYBE THIRD GRADE, FOURTH GRADE. YOU KNOW, LIKE IT SEEMS LIKE WE HAVE A GOOD BALANCE HERE WHERE WE'RE NOT JUMPING TO GET INVOLVED IN CASES WHERE WE SHOULDN'T BE AND WE ARE GETTING INVOLVED WHERE WE SHOULD BE. DOES THAT MATCH YOUR FEELING? YES, ABSOLUTELY. I THINK MY TEAM DOES A LOT OF WORK ON THE FRONT END TO REALLY LOOK AT THE INFORMATION, TAKE OUR FEELINGS OUT OF IT, WHAT WE LIKE OR DON'T LIKE WITH OUR OWN EXPERIENCES, AND REALLY STICK TO THOSE LEGAL DEFINITIONS THAT WE'RE BOUND BY. AND WE ALSO CALL EILEEN A LOT TOO. . I MEAN, THAT'S THE OTHER THING I THINK THAT I DIDN'T MENTION. SO PRIOR TO, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, EILEEN 2022, I THINK THE DA'S OFFICE MANAGED ALL OF OUR CPS AND CHIPS CASES. AND I DO THINK MY TEAM OVERALL HAS GOTTEN, UM, BETTER, MORE COMPREHENSIVE LEGAL ADVICE FOR CASES ON THE FRONT END VERSUS WHEN THE DA'S OFFICE HAD IT, IT WAS KIND OF LIKE, DO WHAT YOU THINK IS RIGHT AND THEN SEND IT OVER HERE AND WE'LL REVIEW IT AND THEN WE'LL TELL YOU IF IT MEETS COURT INTERVENTION WHERE WE'RE HAVING A LOT OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS UPFRONT WITH EILEEN. YEAH. AND WHAT IS WISCONSIN'S STANDARD FOR CHILDREN AND WHAT'S AGE APPROPRIATE LEVELS FOR INDEPENDENCE? OR IS THAT KIND OF VAGUE? SO IF YOU WANNA LEAVE, WERE TALKING A LITTLE BIT YESTERDAY ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, LEAVING KIDS HOME ALONE, RIGHT? AND HOW, HOW, THAT'S OUR FAVORITE TOPIC. , HOW, UM, VAGUE THAT CAN BE. MM-HMM . AND BECAUSE WISCONSIN DOESN'T REALLY HAVE LIKE A HARD AND FAST RULE, RIGHT? YES. THERE IS NO LEGAL DEFINITION IN WISCONSIN FOR WHAT PHYSICAL AGE A CHILD CAN BE LEFT HOME ALONE. SO WHEN WE'RE GETTING THOSE REPORTS, WE'RE ASKING THE REPORTER HOW OLD THEY ARE. NOT ONLY THEIR AGE, BUT HOW DO THEY FUNCTION? LIKE DO, DO THEY KNOW WHAT TO DO IN A CASE OF AN EMERGENCY? DO THEY, DO THEY, WELL EVEN TWO YEAR OLDS HAVE PHONES NOW. DO THEY HAVE ACCESS TO ? DO THEY HAVE ACCESS TO A PHONE? DO THEY KNOW HOW TO CALL 9 1 1? IS THERE A NEIGHBOR THAT THEY CHECK IN WITH AFTER SCHOOL? HOW LONG ARE THEY LEFT HOME ALONE? WE ASK ALL OF THOSE QUESTIONS. UM, I WILL SAY BY AND LARGE, THOSE, WE CALL THOSE LIKE LACK OF SUPERVISION REPORTS. BY AND LARGE, WE'RE SCREENING THOSE IN WHEN IT COMES TO TODDLERS. LIKE WE, WE HAD A CASE WHERE A 3-YEAR-OLD WAS BEING LEFT HOME ALONE. THAT'S DEFINITELY A PROBLEM. YES. I THINK WE ALL COULD AGREE WITH THAT. YES. YES. BUT THOSE SCHOOL AGED KIDS, UM, WE LOOK AT ALL THAT SURROUNDING THOSE SURROUNDING CIRCUMSTANCES TO MAKE A DECISION IF IT REQUIRES OUR INVOLVEMENT. THE OTHER THING ON THAT TOPIC, I THINK WE'VE NOTICED OVER THE LAST PROBABLY TWO YEARS IS THE USE OF CAMERAS. SO LIKE, THERE'S A LOT OF, THERE'S OVERLAP OF THE KIDS GET OFF THE BUS. MOM OR DAD DOESN'T GET HOME TILL FIVE 30, SO THE KIDS ARE THERE FOR AN HOUR, BUT PARENT HAS THE CAMERAS ON THEIR PHONE AND THEY'RE KIND OF WATCHING THEM. THE KIDS HAVE A CELL PHONE, THEY KNOW WHO TO CALL, THEY LEAVE SNACKS OUT. SO NOT THE BEST, BUT ALSO NOT MALTREATMENT IF THEY KNOW WHAT TO DO. SO THEY HAVE A CAMERA IN THEIR LIVING ROOM, THEY HAVE TO RING DOORBELLS SO THEY CAN SEE WHEN THE KID WALKS IN. YEP. YEAH. MM-HMM . YEP. YEP. REAL GOOD. THANK YOU. YEAH, YOU BET. GREAT QUESTION. ONE OTHER THOUGHT. UM, CURIOUS IF THERE'S A, A CATEGORY SINCE IT'S NEW TO US IN WASHINGTON COUNTY FOR THE CO RIDES WITH THE SOCIAL WORKER AND THE DEPUTIES. DID YOU PICK UP ADDITIONAL NUMBERS FOR ABUSE OR NEGLECT FROM SOME OF THOSE CO RIDES? WE HAD A COUPLE OF CROSSOVERS WITH THE CREW TEAM. UM, I DON'T THINK IT WAS ANYTHING MORE THAN WHAT LAW ENFORCEMENT GEN GENERALLY WOULD REPORT WHEN THEY'RE OUT ON SCENE. UM, BUT WE DID WORK WITH THEM A HANDFUL OF TIMES AND THERE WERE A COUPLE OF FAMILIES THAT WE REFERRED TO THEM AS WELL FOR CONTINUED CONNECTIONS AFTER THE INTAKE CASE. OKAY. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? THANK YOU VERY MUCH. VERY WELCOME. I APPRECIATE IT. OKAY. THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM IS THE INCREASED CONTRACT RATES FOR 2025. UM, JULIE WILL EXPLAIN THIS, BUT THE TREND UNFORTUNATELY IS GOING UP WITH THE CONTRACT RATES AND YEARLY CONTRACTS AND RENEWALS AND SUCH. SO JULIE IS GOING TO ADDRESS THAT FOR US. YES, THANK YOU. SO, [00:20:01] UM, WHAT YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU IS NOT [b. Increased Contract Rates for 2025] A COMPREHENSIVE, UM, LIST OF, OF ALL OF OUR CONTRACTS. I JUST CERTAINLY DIDN'T WANT TO BORE YOU WITH PAGES UPON PAGES, BUT IT'S A HIGH LEVEL, UM, OVERVIEW AND EXAMPLE OF SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING, UM, WITH OUR CONTRACTOR PROVIDERS. AS, AS YOU KNOW, AS COUNTY BOARD SUPERVISORS, WE SET OUR BUDGET BASED ON, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE THINK OUR EXPENSES ARE. UM, BUT WE DO RENEW OUR CONTRACTS ON A YEARLY BASIS. AND WHAT WE'VE SEEN IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS IS A TREND FOR THOSE CONTRACTS TO, UM, INCREASE SIGNIFICANTLY, AS YOU CAN SEE, UM, SOME OF THEM AS HIGH AS 40%, UM, SOME AS STANDARD, UM, YOU KNOW, THREE TO 4%. UM, AND SO I THINK WHAT'S DIFFICULT FOR, UM, US IS SORT OF MANAGING THAT, UM, BECAUSE SOME OF THE CONTRACTS ARE BASED ON PLACEMENTS OR OUT OF HOME CARE. UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, YOU YOU CAN SAY, IF YOU CAN SEE, I WOULD SAY, UH, CBRF PLACEMENT, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A $41,000 A YEAR DIFFERENCE FOR ONE PERSON. BUT IN A YEAR WE COULD HAVE AN INCREASE OF PEOPLE WHO NEED THAT TYPE OF PLACEMENT. WE COULD ALSO HAVE A DECREASE IN THE, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO NEED THOSE PLACEMENTS. UM, AND SO I THINK IT'S FOR, FOR ME, I THINK IT'S JUST IMPORTANT FOR THIS, UM, COMMITTEE TO BE AWARE THAT THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE'RE, UM, WORKING WITH AND ALWAYS TRYING TO MANAGE IN MAINTAINING OUR BUDGET. AND, AND, AND TO OUR BOTTOM LINE. UM, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS PARTICULARLY FRUSTRATING FOR US AS WELL, UM, IS BECAUSE WE'RE DOING A LOT OF INITIATIVES AND A LOT OF HARD WORK AROUND TRYING TO, UM, KEEP OUR KIDS FAMILIES AND ADULTS FROM WHAT I WOULD CONSIDER TO BE LIKE THE DEEP END OF THE POOL, UM, THOSE HIGH COST SERVICES, UM, AND REALLY TRYING TO BE MORE PROACTIVE AND PREVENTATIVE. UM, AND AS WE DO THOSE THINGS AND WE SEE MAYBE, UM, SOME OF OUR HOSPITAL PLACEMENTS DECREASE, WE SEE SOME OF OUR OUT HOME CARE PLACEMENTS DECREASE, WE SEE INCREASES IN OUR MEDICAID CROSS REPORTING FOR, FOR OUR, FOR US TO RECEIVE. YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE ALL POSITIVE THINGS FOR US THAT IN THE END OF THE DAY WOULD THINK THAT WE'D BE ABLE TO COME FORTH, YOU KNOW, TO THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE AND THE COUNTY BOARD AND SAY, OH, HERE WE'RE GONNA HAVE ALL THESE COST SAVINGS. 'CAUSE WE'VE DONE ALL OF THESE REALLY GREAT INITIATIVES THAT GO TOWARDS THAT. BUT THEN NOW WE'RE, WE'RE BEING SORT OF PUSHED AGAINST FROM OUR PROVIDERS, AND SO WE'RE NOT SEEING THE TRUE, UM, REDUCTION IN COSTS THAT WE HOPE BECAUSE THE ACTUAL COSTS ARE GOING UP, IF THAT MAKES SENSE. SO I JUST THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT, I THINK FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND SORT OF WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH. UM, IN NO WAY DO I WANT TO, UH, MAKE THIS ALARMIST THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO BE OVERSPENT IN OUR BUDGET BY MILLIONS OR HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS, WHICH DOES HAPPEN IN, IN SOME COUNTIES. I HEAR, UM, WE ARE GONNA BE ENDING THE 20, 24 YEAR IN A VERY HEALTHY SPOT IN RETURNING SOME FUNDS TO THE GENERAL FUND. UM, BUT IT IS ALWAYS A POINT OF, UM, DATA THAT WE'RE REVIEWING AND MANAGING. UM, AND I JUST THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO BRING THAT TO LIGHT. THANK YOU. QUESTIONS? I HAVE ONE. YES. CHAIRMAN. SCH THERE'S A WHOLE GROUP OF HOMES HERE AND WHATEVER. DO WE HAVE RESIDENTS IN ALL OF THEM AND A, A LOT OF 'EM, OR CAN YOU GIVE US A FEELING FOR HOW MANY? YES, THANK YOU. AND, AND THAT'S ANOTHER POINT THAT I, I THOUGHT WAS IMPORTANT TO MAKE. SO THE, UM, COMMUNITY-BASED RESIDENTIAL FACILITIES, UM, IS WHEN WE HAVE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE, HAVE A MENTAL HEALTH, UM, NEED. AND THEY, UM, CANNOT BE AT THAT TIME LIVING INDEPENDENTLY. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE GETTING 24 HOUR SUPERVISION, YOU KNOW, UH, CARE AND SUPPORT, UM, LIVING EXPENSES. UM, AND IN ANY HOME WE CAN HAVE ANYWHERE FROM ONE TO THREE TO FOUR PEOPLE. SO WE HAVE, IN ALL THOSE HOMES, WE HAVE SOMEONE, UM, USUALLY THEY'RE FOUR BED FACILITIES. UM, AND IN ONE HOME IN PARTICULAR, WE HAVE ALL FOUR BEDS. IN ANOTHER HOME, WE MIGHT HAVE ONE. UM, THIS GOES A LITTLE BIT TO ONE OF THE STRATEGIC PRIORITIES THAT, UM, YOU GUYS WERE TALKING ABOUT LAST NIGHT AND AN EOS INITIATIVE THAT WE INTRODUCED, UM, A FEW MONTHS AGO AROUND TRYING TO FIND, UM, APPROPRIATE HOUSING FOR FOLKS. BECAUSE AS WE HA WE DO HAVE INDIVIDUALS WHO CAN LIVE INDEPENDENTLY WITH SOME CONTINUED CASE MANAGEMENT, WHICH THEY RECEIVE, BUT WE CANNOT FIND HOUSING FOR THEM, UH, BECAUSE THEY'RE USUALLY ON A LIMITED INCOME. AND THE, THE HOUSING HAS REALLY REDUCED THE NUMBER OF LANDLORDS THAT WE, UM, WORK WITH OR WANNA WORK WITH US HAS REDUCED. AND SO SOMETIMES WE'VE HAD TO PLACE PEOPLE IN A-C-B-R-F BECAUSE WE'VE HAD NO OTHER PLACE TO PUT THEM, EVEN THOUGH WE FEEL LIKE THEY COULD [00:25:01] BE LIVING INDEPENDENTLY WITH, YOU KNOW, WRAPAROUND SERVICES. AND SO AS YOU CAN SEE, YOU KNOW, $8,500, UM, TO PAY FOR SOMEBODY TO BE IN A-C-B-R-F WHEN, YOU KNOW, RENT COULD BE $800 IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE. UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON AND WE STRUGGLE WITH. UM, WE ALSO THOUGH, I WOULD SAY ON THE POSITIVE SIDE IS WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH ALL OF OUR C BRFSS TO, UM, TRY TO DRAW DOWN MEDICAID DOLLARS TO OFFSET THOSE COSTS. SO THEY, THEY DO BILL, THEY DO INDEPENDENT LIVING SKILLS WITH OUR, UM, CLIENTS, AND THEY, AND WE DO BILL MEDICAID FOR THOSE SERVICES. AND SO WE TRY TO, UH, WE SET GOALS WITH THEM AND WE TRY TO HAVE THEM REACH THEIR DAILY RATE, BUT IT'S NOT ALWAYS POSSIBLE. AND THEN SPECIFICALLY THE RIVER'S, RIVER'S BEND PLACE, UM, THAT, I ASSUME THAT'S THE NUMBER TO RUN THE PLACE FOR THE WHOLE YEAR. THAT'S CORRECT. AND SO ANOTHER STRATEGIC PRIORITY LAST NIGHT THAT WAS DISCUSSED WAS, UM, I THINK IT WAS OUTLINED AS THE YOUTH CRISIS, UM, AND SHELTER FACILITY. UM, IT IS A, UM, A PROBLEM OR AN ISSUE THAT WE'VE BEEN ATTEMPTING TO TACKLE FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. I THINK JOSH GAVE YOU A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF THAT LAST NIGHT. UM, AND THE WAY THAT THE CONTRACT PREVIOUSLY WAS, WAS WE GAVE THEM A FLAT FLAT RATE, UM, TWO YEARS AGO. IT WAS ABOUT 800,000 LAST YEAR. IT WENT UP TO THE, THE 9 98. UM, AND NOW THEY'VE ESSENTIALLY SAID TO US THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE LOSING MONEY, RIGHT? AND SO THEY WANT US TO CONTRACT WITH THE WHOLE, FOR THE WHOLE AMOUNT THAT IT COSTS FOR THEM TO RUN THAT FACILITY. AND THEN WE DO, UM, HAVE OUT OF COUNTY, UM, INDIVIDUALS WHO COME AND STAY THERE TO OFFSET THOSE COSTS. UM, BUT THEY WANTED TO BE ASSURED THAT THEY WERE GONNA GET THE DOLLARS THAT COST TO RUN THE FACILITY. UM, REGARDLESS OF, OF WHETHER WE GET THE OUTOF COUNTY BEDS OR NOT, WE ARE UNDERGOING A HUGE, UM, UNDERTAKING WITH NORRIS, WHICH IS OUR PROVIDER, UM, AROUND WHAT THAT FACILITY REALLY SHOULD BE AND HOW DOES IT MEET OUR NEEDS BECAUSE, UM, AS WAS DISCUSSED LAST NIGHT, WE HAVE A NEED, BUT WE NEVER HAVE A NEED TO FILL ALL OF THOSE BEDS ALL OF THE TIME. AND SO IT'S ALWAYS THIS SORT OF COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS AROUND, UM, ARE WE, DO WE HAVE ENOUGH KIDS IN THE BEDS TO JUSTIFY THE $1.5 MILLION? AND THEN IF THERE'S NOT KIDS THERE, WE'RE STILL PAYING. BUT IF WE DON'T HAVE ANY BEDS AVAILABLE OR PLACE TO SEND KIDS, WHAT DO WE DO? UM, AND SO THAT IS A, A HUGE UNDERTAKING THAT WE'RE GOING THROUGH RIGHT NOW WORKING WITH NORRIS. UM, WE HAVE SORT OF WHAT WE THINK IS OUR, A NEW STRATEGY THAT WE'RE GOING TO, UM, GOING TO EXECUTE. UM, IT'S OUR, IT'S OUR LAST STRATEGY FOR MY, MY MY VANTAGE POINT, UH, BEFORE WE REALLY, REALLY DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. UM, AND AS WE GET FURTHER WITH THAT, WE'LL, WE'RE GONNA BRING THAT WHOLE PRESENTATION TO THIS COMMITTEE. AND I THINK IT IS A LARGER CONVERSATION FOR THE COUNTY BOARD AROUND THAT FACILITY AND WHAT WE DO, UM, BECAUSE THE COST KEEP INCREASING AND, AND I WOULD, I MEAN, RIGHT NOW THOSE BEDS ARE NOT FULL. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . YES. SUPERVISOR BOSER, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE GOOD WORK YOU'RE DOING. UM, A LOT OF PEOPLE WEREN'T ON THE BOARD BACK IN 20 16, 20 17 WHEN, YOU KNOW, I FIRST GOT ELECTED, I WAS ON HUMAN SERVICES, AND AT THAT TIME, UH, WIN OUR USE OF WINNEBAGO, UH, PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL WAS OFF THE CHARTS. AND I THINK AT THAT TIME, THEIR RATE WAS $1,300 A NIGHT. IT WOULDN'T SURPRISE ME IF THEY'RE AROUND 2000 A NIGHT NOW. I SEE YOUR HEAD SHAKING. YES. SO TELLS ME THAT'S A PRETTY GOOD ESTIMATE. SO ALL OF THIS SAVES THOSE EXPENSES. YOU TALK ABOUT THE DEEP END OF THE POOL, THAT'S WINNEBAGO, AND ONCE SOMEBODY GOES THERE, THEY TEND TO STAY THERE A LOT LONGER THAN THEY MIGHT STAY AT SOME OF THESE PLACES AS WELL, BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT DESIGNED TO HELP PEOPLE GET BETTER QUICKLY. THESE PLACES TEND TO BE DESIGNED TO DO EXACTLY THAT, SO THEY SAVE A LOT OF MONEY. I'M GLAD OF THE WORK YOU'VE DONE HERE, AND IF THERE'S THINGS WE CAN DO TO BE MORE COST EFFECTIVE, UM, WHATEVER THOSE MAY BE, YOU KNOW, KEEP COMING UP WITH IDEAS FOR HOW WE CAN BE MORE COST EFFECTIVE AND TAKE THOSE TAX DOLLARS, STRETCH 'EM FURTHER TO HELP OUR COMMUNITY. SO THANK YOU FOR THE GOOD JOB YOU'RE DOING. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, THOUGHTS? ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU, JULIE. OUR NEXT AGENDA ITEM IS THE CHILDREN'S LONG-TERM SUPPORT PROGRAM UPDATE. YES. UM, SO YOU MAY RECALL, UM, I BELIEVE IT WAS, UM, LAST APRIL OR MAY, UH, WE CAME BEFORE THIS COMMITTEE AND THEN THE COUNTY [00:30:01] BOARD AND REQUESTED TWO CASE MANAGEMENT [c. Children’s Long Term Support Program Update] POSITIONS AND THEN AN ASSISTANT SUPERVISOR. AND WE PRESENTED YOU, UH, A LOT OF DATA AROUND THE CHILDREN'S LONG-TERM SUPPORT PROGRAM AND THE NUMBER OF, UH, KIDS THAT WERE BEING REFERRED TO THE PROGRAM AND THE NUMBER THAT WE WERE ENROLLING, UM, AND HOW THAT WAS EVER INCREASING. AND THAT THERE WAS THIS SORT OF, UM, UH, CLOUD OVER OUR HEAD THAT THE STATE WAS GOING TO BE ISSUING, UM, THESE CORRECTIVE ACTION PLANS. AND SO WE HIRED THOSE TWO CASE MANAGERS, WE HIRED THE ASSISTANT SUPERVISOR, UM, AND THE WORK IS BEING DONE TO CONTINUE TO TRY TO PULL THOSE KIDS OFF OF THAT WAIT LIST. UM, BUT WHAT WE ARE SEEING IS THE WAIT LIST GROWS ALMOST EQUAL TO THE NUMBER OF KIDS THAT WE PULL OFF, AND WE CANNOT SEEM TO HIT THAT LEVELING OFF PERIOD. AND I ALSO REALIZE I CAN'T KEEP COMING TO THIS COMMITTEE EVERY OTHER MONTH AND ASKING FOR ANOTHER POSITION. YOU'LL ASK ME THE QUESTION, WHAT IS THE NUMBER, RIGHT? HOW MANY CASE MANAGERS DO YOU NEED? SO, UH, WE SORT OF PIVOTED OUR STRATEGY AND, UM, DECIDED TO CON, UM, CONTRACT WITH A PROVIDER THAT WE USE FOR OUR YOUTH COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNITY SERVICES PROGRAM, UM, TO HIRE TWO ADDITIONAL CASE MANAGERS, UM, FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS. ONE, THEY CAN QUICKLY HIRE, IN FACT, THEY'VE, THEY'RE ALREADY HIRING FOR THAT, THOSE POSITIONS. UM, THEY CAN QUICKLY HIRE, UM, WE CAN, IF WE NEED TO ADD ONE MORE OR ANOTHER ONE VERY QUICKLY, WE CAN DO THAT. AND THE CONTRACTING PLACE, UM, THE, THE POSITIONS OR THE CONTRACT IS PAID FOR BY THE REIMBURSEMENT, UM, FROM THE CLTS WAIVER, UM, THROUGH PRODUCTIVITY, THROUGH CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES. UM, AND WE'RE HOPING THAT THIS YEAR, UM, IN THE NEXT SIX MONTHS, WE CAN SORT OF FIGURE OUT WHAT THAT NUMBER IS OF CASE MANAGERS. UM, AND THEN WE'D LIKE TO PUT THAT IN THE 26, 27 BUDGET AND HAVE THOSE POSITIONS THEN BE COUNTY POSITIONS. UM, BUT AGAIN, WE NEED TO ACT QUICKLY AND WE NEED, WE DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT THE NUMBER IS. UM, AS THOSE CASES CONTINUE TO RISE, WE DID JUST YESTERDAY GET THE EMAIL FROM THE STATE, UM, THAT THE, THE CLOUD OVERHEAD OF THE CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN, WE HAVE 10 DAYS TO RESPOND TO THE DATA. UM, AND THEN AFTER THAT, AFTER WE RESPOND TO THE DATA, UM, WE WILL BE, UM, SUBMITTING A CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN. UM, I DON'T HAVE ANY CONCERNS, I THINK THAT WE'RE, HAVE, HAVE BEEN DOING ALL OF THE RIGHT WORK. I THINK THE 10 DAY DATA RESPONSE WILL BE JUST SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE PRESENTED TO THIS COMMITTEE, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, YOU PUT TAKE 10 KIDS OFF THE, OFF THE WAIT LIST, YOU GET 10 MORE. UM, SO WE'LL BE PUTTING ALL, UH, VERY COMPREHENSIVE DATA ANALYSIS TOGETHER FOR THE STATE. AND THEN WHEN THEY, UM, ASK US FOR A CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN, IT WILL LOOK JUST LIKE THE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN PRESENTING TO THIS COMMITTEE. UM, BUT I WANTED YOU TO BE AWARE, UM, OF THIS, BECAUSE THEN WHEN IT BECOMES BUDGET TIME, WE WILL BE ADDING THOSE POSITIONS INTO OUR BUDGET, BUT OBVIOUSLY IT'LL BE OFFSET BY THE PRODUCTIVITY, UM, REIMBURSEMENT THAT, UM, THAT WE RECEIVE FROM, FROM THE WAIVER. MAKES SENSE. QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, SUPERVISOR BUSSER? YEAH. I'M WONDERING DOES IT MAKE MORE SENSE TO KEEP THOSE POSITIONS AS CONTRACT SO THAT IF WE DO START MAKING PROGRESS AND REACH THE POINT WHERE WE DON'T NEED THEM ANYMORE, IT'S EASIER TO, TO SCALE DOWN, SO TO SPEAK? SO MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE? YEAH. YES. UM, IT IS, I MEAN, IT IS ONE OF THE STRATEGIES THAT WE'VE USED FOR A LONG TIME, UM, IN NOT ALWAYS HIRING COUNTY EMPLOYEES, UM, AND BRINGING ON CONTRACTED STAFF BECAUSE OF THE, THE QUICKNESS IN HIRING BECAUSE OF, YOU KNOW, IF THE PROGRAM DECREASES, WE CAN EASILY MORE EASILY GET OUT OF THAT, UM, EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIP. UM, WE'LL, AND THE NEXT, UM, AGENDA ITEM, WE'LL TALK ABOUT SOMETHING THAT WE'RE SEEING SHIFTING WITH OUR CONTRACTOR PROVIDERS IN THAT THEIR COSTS ARE INCREASING AND IT'S STARTING TO NOT BE AS COST EFFECTIVE FOR US, UM, IN, IN USING CONTRACTORS. UM, WE ALSO HAVE AN ISSUE SOMETIMES WITH SORT OF THE, UM, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD, EQUITY WHEN YOU HAVE 10 PEOPLE ON A TEAM AND TWO PEOPLE ARE WORKING FOR SOMEONE ELSE AND THEY GET PAID A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY, UM, AND THEIR BENEFITS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, AND YOU DON'T GET TO GO TO THE EMPLOYEE APPRECIATION PARTY , UM, YOU KNOW, THOSE SMALL TYPES OF THINGS. UM, AND SO IT, IT IS, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT AND, AND DEFINITELY, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING THAT AS WE GO THROUGH THIS OVER THE NEXT YEAR, UM, THAT WILL KEEP SORT OF IN OUR MIND BECAUSE IT IS A, IT IS A STRATEGY AND IT'S A GOOD ONE. UM, BUT YOU SORT OF TRYING TO DECIDE AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHAT'S THE BEST SCENARIO. IT MAY EVEN BE THAT WE WAIT THROUGH 2026 AND, AND BUDGET IT IN 2027 [00:35:01] BECAUSE THEN, YOU KNOW, WE'LL TRULY KNOW KIND OF WHERE WE'RE AT. BUT YES, IT, IT IS A VERY GOOD OPTION. GREAT. THANK YOU. YEP. QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? OKAY. THANK YOU JULIE. SO RIGHT INTO THE NEXT, UM, UPDATE FOR THE STRATEGIC PRIORITIES. YEAH, SO I DON'T HAVE A LOT TO SAY ON, UM, THESE INITIATIVES, UM, BECAUSE WE HAD, DID NOT HAVE A DECEMBER OR LATE NOVEMBER MEETING. WE HAD AN EARLY NOVEMBER MEETING AND THEN A AND A DECEMBER MEETING. UM, THESE WERE [d. Update – 2024-2025 Strategic Priorities] ALREADY PRESENTED AT THE COUNTY BOARD, UM, I BELIEVE LAST MONTH. AND SO THESE ARE THE TWO HOLDOVER, UM, STRATEGIC PRIORITIES THAT, THAT WE'RE CONTINUING TO WORK ON. AND THEN OBVIOUSLY BASED ON THE OUTCOME OF, UM, YOUR MEETING LAST NIGHT, UM, WE'LL BE DEPENDENT ON, ON HOW WE SORT OF, YOU KNOW, MANEUVER THESE AND ADD ON ANY ADDITIONAL ONES. OKAY. FAIR ENOUGH. MAKES SENSE. ALL RIGHT. UM, SO WE HAVE A RESOLUTION, UM, FOR STAFFING CHANGE. SO I WOULD ENTERTAIN A MOTION ON A SECOND TO PURSUE A DISCUSSION MOVE BY SUPERVISOR BAILEY SECOND BY YES. SECOND SUPERVISOR BOSER. ALRIGHT. JULIE WILL EXPLAIN PROBABLY CARRIE ON THE CONVERSATION [e. 2024 Resolution – Human Services Department Staffing Change] YOU WERE JUST HAVING, RIGHT? YES. THANK YOU. IT'S ALL INTERRELATED. YEP. UM, SO WE'VE HAD A, UH, SUBSTANCE USE CASE MANAGEMENT POSITION AT THE COUNTY AS A CONTRACTED PROVIDER FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, UM, AND HAD ALL INTENT PURPOSES OF CONTINUING THAT, THAT RELATIONSHIP. UM, HOWEVER, TWO THINGS HAPPENED SIMULTANEOUSLY. WHEN WE WERE CREATING 2025 CONTRACTS, OUR PROVIDER CAME TO US WITH A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THAT CONTRACT, UM, AT A COST THAT, UM, IS SIGNIFICANTLY MORE THAN WHAT IT WOULD COST THE COUNTY TO, UM, TO HAVE THAT POSITION. AND AT THE SAME TIME, UM, OUR FUNDING FROM OUR STATE OPIOID RESPONSE, WHILE IT WASN'T DRAMATICALLY CUT, IT WASN'T WHAT WE ASKED FOR. UM, AND SO THEN HERE WE ARE SITTING WITH THIS, THIS FUNDING THAT WE RECEIVE, AND A LARGE PORTION OF IT IS GOING TO BE EATEN UP BY THIS CASE MANAGEMENT POSITION. AND TO SUPERVISOR, IT'S COMMENT PRIOR, IT'S NOT T TYPICALLY MY STRATEGY TO FILL A COUNTY POSITION WITH, UM, FUNDING THAT ISN'T, UM, ONGOING AND COMMITTED. UM, AND THE STATE OPIOID RESPONSE DOLLARS, INTERESTINGLY, EVERY YEAR WE HAVE TO APPLY FOR IT AND WE'RE NEVER SURE WHAT WE'RE GONNA GET. UM, AND IT'S NEVER WHAT WE ASKED FOR, BUT IT'S STILL A, A FAIR AMOUNT TO DO SOME DECENT, SOME DECENT WORK. UM, WHAT THEY'VE CHANGED NOW IS THAT THE FUNDING THAT WE JUST RECEIVED IS FOR THREE YEARS. AND SO I FEEL A LITTLE BIT MORE CONFIDENT IN BRINGING FORTH THIS REQUEST BECAUSE WE KNOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE ONGOING FUNDING. UM, THE OTHER FUNDING SOURCE, THE MAT AND THE JAIL GRANT THAT IS, UH, GPR FUNDED THROUGH THE STATE, UM, WHEREAS THE, THE OPIOID RESPONSE IS A FEDERAL FUNDING. AND SO GPR DOLLARS ARE TYPICALLY CODIFIED INTO THE STATE BUDGET. AND THAT IS A GRANT THAT WE'VE BEEN RECEIVING FOR, I DON'T KNOW, FIVE OR SIX YEARS. AND SO WE WILL CONTINUE TO RECEIVE, RECEIVE THAT FUNDING. UM, BUT THE, WE'VE NEVER REALLY HAD A LOT OF INTERNAL, UM, SUBSTANCE USE SORT OF STAFF. UM, IT'S ALL BEEN THROUGH THIS SORT OF CONTRACT OR CONTRACTING OUT THE TYPE OF SERVICES. UM, AND WE APPROVE A LOT OF, UM, INDIVIDUALS, UM, SORT OF, WE PAY FOR AND APPROVE A LOT OF INDIVIDUALS SERVICES THAT THEY RECEIVE, UM, IN TREATMENT, UM, IN THERAPY, IN INTENSIVE OUTPATIENT. UM, AND IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO HAVE THAT POSITION IN-HOUSE, UM, SO THAT THEY'RE ASSESSING THE NEEDS OF INDIVIDUALS ACCURATELY AND MANAGING THE DOLLARS THAT WE HAVE TO SUPPORT THE PAYMENT FOR THE SERVICES. UM, AND SO, UM, THE BEFORE YOU TODAY IS TO BRING THAT POSITION IN-HOUSE. IT'LL, IT'LL BE MORE COST EFFECTIVE OVERALL, WHICH MEANS IT WILL ALSO ALLOW US TO SERVE, UM, INDIVIDUALS IN THE COMMUNITY IN A GREATER FASHION. UM, AND WE HAVE COMMITTED FUNDING. AND SO I FEEL CONFIDENT, UM, THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WON'T, WE WON'T BE COMING FORTH TO YOU AND ASKING FOR A TAX LEVY FOR THIS POSITION. QUESTIONS. ALL RIGHT. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? ALL RIGHT. THIS MOTION PASSES. YOU HAVE YOUR ONE FTE, IT WAS RIGHT? YES. ALL RIGHT. UH, THAT TAKES CARE OF OUR AGENDA. THE NEXT MEETING WE HAVE TOGETHER IS FEBRUARY 26TH. THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.